PPP's 2018 manifesto is 2013 edition plus tweaks

Published
0

One of Dawn's editorials today dissects the PPP's recently unveiled 2018 manifesto and calls out the programme for basically being the 2013 copy plus minor tweaks.

In 2008, the party laid out similar plans. It vowed decisive action on water security, poverty alleviation, labour policy reform, energy security, empowerment of women, and enhancement of the rule of law. The 2013 document made almost identical commitments. — an excerpt

The manifesto is trite, gives short shrift to press freedom and women's rights, and makes vague statements regarding civil service reforms. But most of all, the editorial states, there are no guarantees of this manifesto being implemented because similar promises were made in 2008 and 2013 too but nothing, or very little, came of it.

So why should the PPP be believed to do what it didn't the last two go-rounds. There is a slight reason for optimism and his name is Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari — so says the editorial.

Read the full editorial here and the full manifesto here.

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...